You may have heard the saying: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. When I first heard that, it struck a chord - it still does - and has now been adopted by that little voice at the back of my mind that keeps reminding me to constantly meet and get to know new
Read MoreWe’ve all heard the saying “Curiosity killed the cat.” But where does that come from, and what was it really warning against? It turns out, the original saying, first recorded in the 16th century, was “Care killed the cat”, where “care” meant worry or sorrow. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that it evolved into a cautionary warning against...
Read MoreI know, everyone is talking about uncertainty right now - again. And that’s understandable as there is plenty of it about: tariffs, shifting trade dynamics, economic turbulence, not to mention the various conflicts and environmental issues that have briefly moved out of the immediate media spotlight but haven't gone
Read MoreThe phrase 'the Ghost in the Machine' has long fascinated me, and occasionally has me exploring philosophical rabbit holes as I try to make sense of it - and test it against real world situations. In short, the phrase ‘ghost in the machine’ was coined by Gilbert Ryle - a British philosopher - in 1949. He was responding to the ideas of René...
Read MoreFor as long as humans have been around, the ability to decide who to trust - and who not to trust - has been a crucial part of our survival tool box. Individually, we human beings are relatively weak creatures, but our strength comes from forming social groups, to work, problem solve, and live together. And that requires communication and the...
Read MoreFeedback is a crucial element in engineering and science, ensuring that systems function optimally within known boundaries. Thermostats regulate temperature by adjusting heating output. Vehicle cruise control maintains speed but adapts to other traffic. Biological feedback loops—such as homeostasis and insulin regulation—help the body stay in...
Read More5 Common Practices you should definitely move on from Peter Drucker said: “The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence—it is to act with yesterday’s logic”. Well, we are in a time of turbulence - as per normal - although this quote feels particularly poignant just now. We see so many companies trying to operate today with...
Read MoreThe most common model for managing risk is what's known as the Ostrich Approach. This appears to work reasonably well in many situations, and is based on 3 concepts fortuitously working together:
Read MoreHwæt! We Gar-Dena in gear-dagum, þeod-cyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon! We all remember inspirational teachers - those that in some way reached deeper into our minds and sparked wonder, creativity, imagination, and fun. For me, one such teacher - from my UK equivalent of Grade 3 - would tell us a classic story of adventure...
Read MoreIt is often cited that 90% of businesses don't have any form of strategic plan, and 90% of those that do, don't actually follow it. That means that only one percent of businesses actually have some sort of strategic plan that guides the business. While these figures may be open to some debate, the general principle behind this is widely...
Read More